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03/30/2015

OK, so I am very excited to show you all my recently updated Dining Room, I have slowly been getting rid of all my old, dark, French Country pieces and replacing them with lighter (whiter) coastal style furnishings...

Here's what the dining room looked like a few weeks ago:

and here it is today...

I sold the large French Country china cabinet and replaced it with a set of white open bookshelves, I also replaced the dark walnut dining table with a painted pedastal base table and creamy white dining chairs.

You may have noticed the dropcloth under the dining table- I just finished painting it and could not move the table by myself to get the dropcloth out, oh well, just imagine the room WITHOUT the dropcloth! BTW: I found the table and chairs on Craigslist for a steal...all it took was a fresh coat of paint and it looks like a brand new set. Still debating if the top should be painted white or stay wood toned...thoughts anyone??

I am loving the lighter, brighter room- it has a more casual-relaxed feel now!

I especially love the addition of the white bookcases, which I filled up with functional things like dishes and glasses and baskets of table linens- but it's also a great space to display a few pretty coastal accents like old glass bottles, hurricane lanterns and artwork.

I'm not quite sure I have my shelves exactly how I want them...but that's part of the fun- moving things all around, until you get it right!

Most of what I used in the shelves I already had, but I did add a few new pieces of aqua glass and a large set of seagrass baskets from Target...

Since the bookshelves were open and I really needed more storage, the baskets were a great place to store all of my colorful table linens and napkins- functional, but pretty!

The new aqua blue accents in the shelf repeat the pretty blue in the white heron painting and on the sofa pillows. And the lighter, whiter furnishings look better with the new white end tables and coffee table...the whole space now flows so nicely!

For those of you who know my blog and home well, you may have noticed a few new additions to the sitting area by the front windows, more on that later this week!!

The space feels so unified now, I think I want to purchase another matching jute rug for the living room so it feels like one large open space!

The seagrass and jute BLEND, but it would be nice if it were the same material.

All said, we are loving our new, lighter, brighter and more casual Living Room and Dining Room and look forward to spending more time in here!

03/27/2015

Just popping in today to share with you all one of my favorite ideas for setting a beautiful table- I love to use my woven utensil caddy as part of my centerpiece!

Utensil caddys are so functional- especially on busy weeknights when I am trying to get dinner on the table, we will just grab the caddy and use it as part of our simple centerpiece, then, when everyone sits down they can easily grab their own flatware and napkins! This idea saves so much time and keeps dinner casual and fun!

I have had my caddy for years (I believe it's from Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma) I also keep it on my kitchen counter, because it saves me room in my tiny kitchen (which doesn't have many drawers) and it makes emptying the dishwasher a cinch!

A caddy also works well when serving a meal buffet-style, after helping themselves to their food, folks can easily grab their utensils and napkins before they find a seat.

If you can find a pretty caddy, I encourage you to use it on your table, on your counter and even consider incorporating it into your next table setting like this...

03/25/2015

Continuing my series this month of favorite Weight Watcher recipes, I wanted to share this one with you all: Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes!

This recipe is so healthy and delicious you have GOT to try it, especially if you like feta cheese and Greek-style food. The BEST news is that it is only 3 Points!

Since everyone loves a great "before and after" story, and this IS a decorating blog, I thought I would share these photos with you:

BEFORE:

(The ingredients are simple and fresh)

AFTER:

and another AFTER, because it just looks so yummy...

The feta cheese is creamy and tangy, the chopped cucumber gives it a crunch and cool taste- perfect for a summer meal, and the fresh tomato and garlic sauce is perfect.

Here's the official recipe:

Weight Watcher Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes

WW Points: 3

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

1 ½ t olive oil-divided

1 ½ t dried oregano

1 t minced garlic

½ cup diced fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1 oz crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions:

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Saute in 1 tsp oil over med high heat until completely cooked (if breasts are especially large, cut them in half before sauteeing). Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm.

03/23/2015

Ok, so this DIY Home Decor Project/Idea is so super simple I am almost embarassed to show it to you!

I think this shutter art idea looks great in a "coastal" style home, or any type of cottage or farmhouse decor...here's what I did:

I recently updated our living room and used a beautiful painting of a white heron over our sofa, since it wasn't large enough to fill the entire wall, I needed something to hang on either side. I didn't want anything that would compete with the painting, so the white shutters seemed like a good choice- architectural elements always look great on the wall.

I found my shutters at Home Depot, and the greatest part is, they were already white so they didn't even need painting, seriously, how easy is that!!?

If you found shutters and needed to paint them, they would look great distressed and chippy, though.

painted a fun accent color- since I really wanted to make the painting the focal point, I kept them neutral.

Hanging them is a cinch too...since these are plastic they are so lightweight, you only need a few nails.